,i #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #accc ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,march #ba1 #bjac ,mr4 ,cartwright 7for himself1 ,mrs4 ,capps1 ,mr4 ,conyers1 ,ms4 ,de,lauro1 ,mr4 ,dingell1 ,mr4 ,honda1 ,ms4 ,lee of ,california1 ,mr4 ,lowenthal1 ,mr4 ,mc,govern1 ,ms4 ,norton1 ,mr4 ,o',rourke1 ,ms4 ,schakowsky1 ,mr4 ,jones1 ,mr4 ,brady of ,pennsylvania1 ,mr4 ,braley of ,iowa1 ,mr4 ,castro of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,fattah1 ,ms4 ,frankel of ,florida1 ,ms4 ,gabbard1 ,mr4 ,kennedy1 ,mr4 ,larson of ,connecticut1 ,mrs4 ,carolyn ,b4 ,maloney of ,new ,york1 ,mrs4 ,mc,carthy of ,new ,york1 ,ms4 ,mc,collum1 ,mr4 ,nolan1 and ,mr4 ,cramer7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to amend title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 to grant family of members of the uniformed services temporary annual leave during the deployment of such members1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,military ,family ,leave ,act of #bjac4 #b4 ,annual leave for family of deployed members of the uniformed services 7a7 ,in general ,part ,,iii of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by adding at the end the following new chapter3 #dd ,annual leave for family of deployed members of the uniformed services ,sec4 #ddja4 ,definitions4 #ddjb4 ,leave requirement4 #ddjc4 ,certification4 #ddjd4 ,employment and benefits protection4 #ddje4 ,prohibited acts4 #ddjf4 ,enforcement4 #ddjg4 ,miscellaneous provisions4 #ddja4 ,definitions ,in this chapter3 7#a7 ,the terms benefit1 rights and benefits1 employee1 employer1 and uniformed services have the meaning given such terms in section #dcjc of this title4 7#b7 ,the term contingency operation has the same meaning given such term in section #aja7;a77#ac7 of title #aj4 7#c7 ,the term eligible employee means an individual who is-- 7,a7 a family member of a member of a uniformed service2 and 7,b7 an employee of the employer with respect to whom leave is requested under section #ddjb of this title4 7#d7 ,the term family member means an individual who is1 with respect to another individual1 one of the following3 7,a7 ,the spouse of the other individual4 7,b7 ,a son or daughter of the other individual4 7,c7 ,a parent of the other individual4 7#e7 ,the term reduced leave schedule means a leave schedule that reduces the usual number of hours per workweek1 or hours per workday1 of an employee4 7#f7 ,the terms spouse1 son or daughter1 and parent have the meaning given such terms in section #aja of the ,family and ,medical ,leave ,act of #aiic 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #bfaa74 #ddjb4 ,leave requirement 7a7 ,entitlement to leave ,in any #ab-month period1 an eligible employee shall be entitled to two workweeks of leave for each family member of the eligible employee who1 during such #ab-month period-- 7#a7 is in the uniformed services2 and 7#b7 7,a7 receives notification of an impending call or order to active duty in support of a contingency operation2 or 7,b7 is deployed in connection with a contingency operation4 7b7 ,leave taken intermittently or on reduced leave schedule 7#a7 ,leave under subsection 7a7 may be taken by an eligible employee intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule as the eligible employee considers appropriate4 7#b7 ,the taking of leave intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule pursuant to this subsection shall not result in a reduction in the total amount of leave to which the eligible employee is entitled under subsection 7a7 beyond the amount of leave actually taken4 7c7 ,paid leave permitted ,leave granted under subsection 7a7 may consist of paid leave or unpaid leave as the employer of the eligible employee considers appropriate4 7d7 ,relationship to paid leave 7#a7 ,if an employer provides paid leave to an eligible employee for fewer than the total number of workweeks of leave that the eligible employee is entitled to under subsection 7a71 the additional amount of leave necessary to attain the total number of workweeks of leave required under subsection 7a7 may be provided without compensation4 7#b7 ,an eligible employee may elect1 and an employer may not require the eligible employee1 to substitute any of the accrued paid vacation leave1 personal leave1 or family leave of the eligible employee for leave provided under subsection 7a7 for any part of the total period of such leave the eligible employee is entitled to under such subsection4 7e7 ,notice for leave ,in any case in which an eligible employee chooses to use leave under subsection 7a71 the eligible employee shall provide such notice to the employer as is reasonable and practicable4 #ddjc4 ,certification 7a7 ,in general ,an employer may require that a request for leave under section #ddjb7;a7 of this title be supported by a certification of entitlement to such leave4 7b7 ,timeliness of certification ,an eligible employee shall provide1 in a timely manner1 a copy of the certification required by subsection 7a7 to the employer4 7c7 ,sufficient certification ,a copy of the notification1 call1 or order described in section #ddjb7;a77#b7 of this title shall be considered sufficient certification of entitlement to leave for purposes of providing certification under this section4 ,the ,secretary may prescribe such additional forms and manners of certification as the ,secretary considers appropriate for purposes of providing certification under this section4 #ddjd4 ,employment and benefits protection 7a7 ,in general ,an eligible employee who takes leave under section #ddjb of this title for the intended purpose of the leave shall be entitled1 on return from such leave-- 7#a7 to be restored by the employer to the position of employment held by the eligible employee when the leave commenced2 or 7#b7 to be restored to an equivalent position with equivalent rights and benefits of employment4 7b7 ,loss of benefits ,the taking of leave under section #ddjb of this title shall not result in the loss of any employment benefit accrued prior to the date on which the leave commenced4 7c7 ,limitations ,nothing in this section shall be construed to entitle any restored employee to-- 7#a7 the accrual of any seniority or employment benefits during any period of leave2 or 7#b7 any right1 benefit1 or position of employment other than any right1 benefit1 or position to which the employee would have been entitled had the employee not taken the leave4 #ddje4 ,prohibited acts 7a7 ,exercise of rights ,it shall be unlawful for any employer to interfere with1 restrain1 or deny the exercise of or the attempt to exercise1 any right provided under this chapter4 7b7 ,discrimination ,it shall be unlawful for any employer to discharge or in any other manner discriminate against any individual for opposing any practice made unlawful by this chapter4 #ddjf4 ,enforcement ,the provisions of subchapter ,,iii of chapter #dc of this title shall apply with respect to the provisions of this chapter as if such provisions were incorporated into and made part of this chapter4 #ddjg4 ,miscellaneous provisions ,the provisions of subchapter ,,iv of chapter #dc of this title shall apply with respect to the provisions of this chapter as if such provisions were incorporated into and made part of this chapter4 4 7b7 ,clerical amendments ,the table of chapters at the beginning of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 and at the beginning of part ,,iii of such title1 are each amended by inserting after the item relating to chapter #dc the following new item3 #dd4;,annual ,leave for ,family of ,deployed ,members of the ,uniformed ,services#ddja4 4